advanced energy efficient doors
Exterior doors can account for significant amounts of heat loss (or unwanted heat gain, in hot climates).
New advanced energy efficient exterior doors can solve the problem, but that doesn’t mean that the replacement of existing doors is necessarily an excellent or a necessary investment.
All depends on the condition of the doors, and on your goals and climate. Replacing an entry door is a relatively pricey investment, and you may want to just improve its efficiency, or consider other priorities.
If your exterior doors aren't definitively bent or otherwise damaged, or if their core materials aren't intrinsically energy-inefficient (sliding glass-doors, or some simple metal doors…), weatherstripping can be a good way of improving their energy-efficiency. Doors should seal tightly to the jambs, stops and bottom.
What makes a door energy-efficient?
The efficiency of a door depends on the 1) type of door and their materials but also on elements like the 2) weatherstrips and the 3) the quality of their installation.
Energy Star also stresses three elements in energy efficient doors (see image, below):
- their core materials; exterior wood doors are still a very popular choice but they aren't any more the best option; fiberglass and steel doors with a polyurethane foam core are a better alternative.
- two or three panels of insulating glass: it's not too much to stress the importance of the glazing elements of a door; exterior glass doors or doors with large glazing panels perform poorly in terms of energy efficiency.
- weatherstripping and a tight-fit installation… The quality of the weatherstripping determines the degree of air leakage and heat loss. Energy efficient doors have high quality weatherstripping, and low air leakage rates.
Other elements that may also improve the energy efficiency of exterior doors:
- Thermally broken frames (in the case of doors with metal frames);
- The placement of the door (out of the path of the prevailing winds, and protected from the weather).
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Windbreaks;
- Properly designed air-lock vestibules (to trap the air between the entry door and the interior of the house);
- Storm doors.
See:
Exterior Door Types
Weatherstripping Materials for Doors
Door Bottom and Door Sweep Weatherstripping
Door Threshold Weatherstripping
Stop and Jamb Door Weatherstripping
Energy Efficient Storm Doors
Factory-Made Pre-Hang Doors